Ramblings
by lizzington95
Summary: A dumping ground for one-shots/drabbles/stuff that doesn't get its' own story. Mainly SoMa, but that may change. If anyone wants to take something from here and develop it further, please feel free.
1. Chapter 1

Maka took a deep, supposedly calming breath and straightened her jacket. Today was the big day. Today was the day she finally started working in Death City. It felt slightly strange to be walking through the corridors of the building she had spent so many of her teen years in. She idly wondered who her partner would be – she hoped her father hadn't managed to have a say in picking him out.

"Maka?"  
The blonde turned to meet a confused amber gaze. She smiled. Kidd hadn't changed in the slightest. The tall young man was still perfectly symmetrical aside from the stripes in his hair.

"Hey Kidd" she said quietly.  
"What are you doing here?" he asked, clearly unaware of her transfer from Las Vegas.  
"I got transferred. I'm working here now."  
"Oh, right." He seemed vaguely disappointed and she wondered why. "Why didn't you tell me you were moving back?" Right, _that_ was why.  
"It all happened in a bit of a rush Kidd." She explained apologetically "I haven't had a chance to call anyone yet." She glanced at her watch "I should get going – I'm meant to be meeting the Lieutenant and my new partner soon."  
"I'll walk you up."  
And so they walked through the slightly maze-like bull pen to their Lieutenants office, quietly gossiping like the teenagers they used to be. Their happy reminiscence was interrupted by a yell of

"HEY ALBARN!" as Black Star raced across – yes _across_ the desks, completely trampling case files and cups of coffee.  
"Christ Black Star how are you still so loud?" Maka moaned, accepting his crushing embrace.  
"I am the great Black Star! I am not loud – you just aren't godly enough to cope with my amazing voice!" he retorted. "Man it's good to see ya Maka. But what are you doing here? I thought you avoided your dad at all costs."  
Her voice snapped into a frown at the mention of her pervy papa. It would be just her luck if he interfered to get her stuck on desk duty.  
"I got transferred Black Star. There's no way I could avoid it." She shrugged "We just have to hope Papa stays out of my hair."

"Sup, Kidd, Star?" A new voice said from behind her. "And who's the bird? "  
Maka turned, glaring at being called a bird. Honestly, why were so many cops sexist pigs?  
Just before she launched into a tirade, the door to the office opened and the Lieutenant stepped out. He was a big man, who had been shifted to desk duty after receiving a minor calibre shot to the head. Luckily for them, he hadn't suffered any brain damage and made a damn good Lieutenant.

"Be polite Soul."  
"Hey Si- uh, Lieutenant." Maka said with a smile.  
"Kidd, Black Star I understand that you're excited to see Maka again, but I'm sure you both have open cases requiring your attention."  
The young men left quickly, leaving her with hugs and promises of lunch later. Maka couldn't restrain her grin at the incredulous look on the new guys' face.

"You two, my office."  
Soul walked in ahead of this girl who everyone but him seemed to know, not bothering to hold the door. Maka breezed into Sid's office, finding it completely unchanged from her last visit. She casually ignored the rudeness of the man she feared was going to be her new partner.  
"It's good to see you again, Detective Albarn. I hope you're settling in ok?"  
Soul's eyes narrowed slightly – the Lieutenant definitely knew this tiny Detective. Sid was not the kind of man to make idle small talk.  
"It was a bit of a rush, but I'm fine. It kinda feels like I never left."  
"That's good to hear." Sid smiled at her, before becoming all business again. "Detective Albarn, this is Detective Eater, your new partner. Eater, this is Detective Albarn."

Maka turned to the young man slouching in his chair and examined him. She would have called him an albino, but his skin was a healthy golden colour that told her he spent most of his time outside. His white hair could do with cutting, but he seemed capable enough. This Detective Eater gave off an aura of unflappability. Meeting his dark red eyes, she was amused to note that he had been sizing her up as well. She held out her hand to him.  
"It's nice to meet you, partner."

Soul looked the girl up and down critically. She was short and slight, but she seemed to have a wiry strength to her. Her green eyes were wide and intelligent, her legs long and slim. She looked as if she would turn out to be a hard worker, which was fine by him. He caught a spark of amusement in her big eyes as she noticed him looking at her. She held out a small delicate hand for him to shake.  
Soul decided that he could work with this girl, and took the hand she offered.  
"Likewise."

Their bonding moment was ruined when the door burst open and a wild eyed red haired man burst in. Soul felt his new partners' hand tighten around his. Suddenly the pieces of the puzzle slotted together for him.  
Detective Albarn, who knew people at the station, who was fitting in "like she never left". Detective Albarn, who had been saying something about avoiding her dad when he'd come up behind her. Detective Albarn, who shared her last name with the Chief.

"MAKAAAA!" The Chief cried as he leapt on his daughter, who jumped from the chair to avoid him.  
"Sid!" She moaned, unable to believe that her stupid father had to turn up and embarrass her in front of her new partner.  
"Chief, what are you doing here?"  
"I needed to see my precious baby girl" Chief Albarn said dreamily, reaching for Maka again. She ducked behind Soul, grateful his shoulders were broad enough to hide her from her father momentarily.

"Shit" she muttered to his back, before stepping out, walls up and fists clenched.  
"You need to leave. The only reason I agreed to this transfer was because I was promised you would stay away from me."  
"B-but Maka, Papa loves you!"  
"Save it, _Chief_" she said harshly, wielding his rank like a whip.  
"Err, I hate to interrupt this – whatever this is" Soul broke in hesitantly "But we caught a case, so . ."  
"Great! Let's go!" The little blonde grabbed his arm and dragged him from the Lieutenants office, ignoring her father's whimpers and pleas.

"So, you're the Chiefs' daughter, huh?"  
"Wow, are you a detective or something?" She replied sarcastically. She paused and took a breath. "Sorry, that was rude of me. Yes, that imbecile is my father."  
"I don't think I've ever heard of him acting like that before." Soul said in wonder.  
"Kidd and Black Star could tell you stories" she said with a shudder. "I'm sorry you had to see that. If he, um, says anything to you let me know and I'll deal with it."  
"Huh? What do you mean?" He asked confusion evident in his red eyes.

Maka shook her head, not wanting to elaborate further on her fathers' ridiculous behaviours.  
"You said we have a case?"  
Soul raised an eyebrow, _smooth topic change there, Albarn_, written all over his face.  
"Murder of a young woman near the university according to Dispatch." He told her, accepting her reluctance to talk about her father. "I shotgun driving."

Maka resisted the urge to roll her eyes. How juvenile could he get?  
"If you insist." She said airily, coming to an abrupt halt in front of a glaring orange monstrosity. "Wait- This is what you drive?"  
"My baby" her new partner said affectionately, stroking the paint work as he straddled the bike. "You scared?"  
"No!" she snorted with derision as she climbed on behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist loosely "Just shocked that anyone would paint their Harley bright orange."

The pair rode off quietly bickering about the correct colours for motorbikes, completely unaware that this was the beginning of a beautiful partnership.


	2. Chapter 2

Soul locked his bike and trotted after Maka up the steps of their hotel. They'd lucked out and had been given a room in one of the poshest hotels in Manhattan. Maka was waiting for him by the reception desk, key already in hand. He slouched over to the lifts. They were just exiting when Soul heard a girl call his name.

"Soul? Is that you?"  
He turned and bit back a curse. The hotel wasn't a boon, it was a curse. Maka was going to kill him.  
"Oh Soul, it is you!"

Maka turned to see a small blonde girl throw herself at Soul. She was tiny, no more than five foot three, with lots of long blonde hair, and a well developed chest. Maka stood, looking on, feeling gawky and awkward.

"Um, hi Lucille." Soul awkwardly patted her on the back, wondering how the hell he was going to untangle himself from this situation without earning a Maka-Chop.  
Lucille looked up at him with bright blue eyes filled with hope and something else that looked uncomfortably similar to lust. He hadn't seen the girl in years – why the hell had she suddenly latched onto him like a limpet in a hotel corridor?

"They said they were sending someone from Shibusen and I hoped it would be you! It's just been so awful Soul! Three girls have been killed in as many days – I've been so scared!"  
"Yeah, it sucks."  
Lucille pulled away from his chest, thankfully, only to start grabbing his biceps.  
"Oh Soul, you're so strong! You must have killed so many monsters!"

"Err, yeah, maybe 200?"  
"257." Maka corrected.  
Lucille glanced around him to look at Maka for the first time.  
"Soul? Who's this?"  
"Um, Lucille, this is my meister, Maka. Maka, this is Lucille. I knew her before I, er, left."

Maka nodded to Lucille, who had already turned her attention back to Soul.  
"Your meister?" She frowned, in a way that usually had boys focussing on her pouty mouth. "I thought you were a Death Scythe? Doesn't that make you, like, the strongest weapon in the world? Why do you still need a meister?"

Soul heard Maka try and cover her laughter with a cough. Having to cope with girls like Lucille was definitely not something he missed from his old life.  
"I'm not an autonomous weapon – I need to be wielded. And I'm not the strongest weapon in the world, Lucille."  
"Yet." Maka added. "Come on Soul, we should drop our bags in our room."

She started down the thickly carpeted corridor and Soul, as always, followed after her.  
"But didn't you beat the Kishin, Soul?"  
"That wasn't just us, Lucille." He said wearily, tired of her company after only a few short minutes.  
He saw Lucille frown when she saw Maka only had one key.  
"You're sharing a room?"  
Maka turned to her and smiled. It wasn't a nice smile.  
"We're partners. We share everything."

Soul ducked into the room before Lucille could grab him again. He let out a sigh of relief when Maka closed the door in her face. He was tensed in anticipation of a firm Maka-Chop to the head, but Maka walked right past him. She sat on the bed and suddenly collapsed in helpless laughter.  
"Maka?"  
She shook her head at him, incapable of speech for a few moments.

"Oh, Soul, you're so strong!" She warbled, impersonating Lucille's higher voice. "Oh Soul!"  
Soul scowled at her. It wasn't his fault.  
"She was even more ridiculous than your fangirls at school!"  
"Yeah, well, it wasn't my fault she latched onto me."  
"How did you know her anyway?" Maka asked, sitting up.

Soul rubbed the back of his neck. There was no way to say this without opening up Maka's big box of insecurities.  
"Uh, well, my parents kinda wanted me to, um, well, marry her."  
He watched guiltily as the amusement drained from her face, to be replaced with a blank mask that told a story all on its own. She was winding herself up be convinced he was leaving.

"Oh."  
"Don't do this, Maka." Soul said, walking over to grab her shoulders. "It was years ago. She was my parents' choice, not mine. And they've always had terrible taste, you know that."  
"I know." Maka looked at her lap. "It was just a surprise, that's all. And she is pretty."

Soul smirked at her. Maka could be so adorable at times.  
"I prefer my girls nerdy."  
"Hey! There's nothing wrong with being nerdy!"  
But she was smiling again, and that meant everything was ok.


	3. Chapter 3

Maka opened the door and tried not to sigh too heavily. To be honest, she'd expected this. She'd known it was coming ever since Black Star had suggested it. Soul had turned eighteen today, well she supposed it was yesterday now. Black Star had demanded that his "follower" go out drinking with him, since he could now do it legally. Soul had agreed of course – it seemed to her that Soul agreed with all of Black Stars' stupid ideas.

"Hi Kidd."  
"Hello Maka." The young shinigami said sheepishly.  
"Maka!" a drunken Soul exclaimed. "Hey Maka!"

Kidd had been dragged along as well; Black Star and Soul had decided it was going to be a boy's night out. As a shinigami, Kidd was much less affected by alcohol so it inevitably fell to him to get his drunken friends home to their partners.  
Maka slung Souls' free arm over her shoulders and relieved Kidd of his burden.

"Thanks Kidd. I'll see you tomorrow- well, later today."  
"Goodnight Maka." Kidd said with a slight smile.  
Maka kicked the door shut and started trying to manoeuvre Soul to his room. Soul seemed more interested in trying to hug her. Apparently, a drunken Soul was a cuddly Soul.  
"Mmm . . . missed you t'night Maka. Star was so _loud._" He whined.  
Maka rolled her eyes. She was never going to let him drunk again.  
"Yes, I'm sure he was."

She was glad that Kidd had dropped Black Star off first. The last thing she wanted was Black Star waking all her neighbours. Maka stopped halfway down the hall when she realised Soul was already asleep. If he'd waited a few minutes, then she could've quite happily tipped him into bed and gone to get some sleep herself. But, no, the irritating sod _had _to fall asleep in the middle of the hall and almost bring her crashing down to the floor.

Knowing she'd regret it, Maka tugged a strand of soft white hair.  
"Soul, you have to wake up. Damnit Soul you're too heavy for me to drag you to bed!"  
"I wou'n't mind you draggin' me to bed." He replied blearily. Maka blushed.  
"Come on you idiot Shark Bear, your bed's just a little further."

Soul was mumbling something about being better looking than a shark, but Maka tuned him out. Dear Death, who knew a drunken Death Scythe could be so clingy? He was almost as bad as her papa – except, her papa would be staggering into someone else's bed instead of staggering home into his own.

Finally, joyfully, Maka pushed him onto the bed. Soul immediately smashed his face into a pillow.  
She sighed. Should she really let him sleep fully clothed?

Maka decided she would at least take his shoes and jacket off. The shoes came off without a hitch, but the jacket was somewhat trickier. Finally, with some tugging and quite a bit of grumbling about stupid weapons and their stupid friends, Soul was left in socks jeans and a t-shirt.  
"Night Soul" Maka murmured as she turned to leave.

She hadn't even managed one step when Soul's arm shot out, far quicker than she thought was normal for a drunk, and pulled her down onto the bed with him. He muttered something unintelligible and wrapped his arms around her like she was a freaking teddy bear. She could feel his breath on her neck and his hair against her face. His heartbeat thumped against her chest.

Maka gently tried to ease away from her, apparently asleep, weapon. The only result was that his grip tightened. She sighed. Apparently she wasn't getting to her own bed tonight.

Soul smirked happily. He wasn't drunk enough to miss a chance to snuggle with his miester.


End file.
